Nutritional Racism by Rambling Raven
By Raven • Mar 7th, 2010 • Category: Rambling Raven •
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Nutritional Racism by Rambling Raven
There is a disturbing trend going on here in Chicago. The recession as we know, has hit nearly all American businesses hard, causing many companies to close stores or reduce the merchandise that they offer. The African American community, especially on the south side of the Chicago, has seen an alarming drop in one type of store in particular– grocery stores. I don’t mean little corner stores I am talking about big chain supermarkets. Jewels and Dominick’s, the two largest chain supermarket stores in this city, have over the past few years closed many of their stores. Sadly most of the store closings have been in the African American community.
The closing of the supermarkets are troublesome in our community for many reasons. The stores were easily assessable by public transportation, and for a community who relies heavily on public transportation that was very important. Now, in many neighborhoods, people have to travel miles outside of the community for groceries. The distance is a problem when you have to deal with Chicago’s weather, and it is expensive. One bus ride costs $2.25 a ride; it can easily cost a family over ten dollars to just get to and from a store. That can be a costly trip to people on a fixed income. It is even harder on the elderly in the community.
The stores that are easily accessible now in the community are the corner stores that are usually ill equipped to handle a variety of groceries. The corner stores usually only carry junk food. They often are limited in space and therefore mainly stock chips, candy, juices, some toiletries and a limited amount of processed foods. You may find a few that have “meat counters” but the meat is usually questionable in freshness and quality. And the prices at those corner stores are ridiculously marked up.
The other food sources that are left in the communities are the fast food restaurants. Nearly every corner in the African American community has a McDonalds, Burger King, a variety of fried fish shacks, and a host of other cheap food stands that sell low quality, high fat fast foods. And every now and then a neighborhood may get a discount food warehouse store that specializes in generic food brands. However, these stores mostly sell processed (boxed) foods and little fresh produce and meats.
So where are the fresh meats, fruits and vegetables? The African American community has some of the highest rates of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity in this country. Most of those illnesses are attributed to poor dietary health. How can a community heal itself if it doesn’t have access to quality food? In some of our neighborhoods a person can not get the basic daily allowances of fruits, vegetables and grains because there is nowhere to get them from.
I personally have seen four big supermarkets close within the communities I live and work in. And nothing has been put in their places. I have chosen to live and work within the African American community on the south side of the city Yet, I do not shop there. The stores I have gone into do not measure up to the stores in other parts of the city. The produce is lacking and there’s no variety. I eat a lot of tofu, sushi, whole grains and organic produce and meats. I have a difficult time finding them on the south side of the city. Therefore, I travel miles and miles outside of my community to find quality food. And yes I pay more for the quality and the transportation; thank God I can do that. I shudder to think what families who can not afford to travel outside of the community do.
I am not sure why so many of the big name supermarkets have decided that the African American community is the place to slash stores. And I am not sure why in this politically charged city no politician within our community has spoken up. The only places I have seen the problem addressed has been on the evening news, due to the release of a recent study pertaining to access to adequate nutrition within Chicago’s black community. And a popular radio station took on the issue due to high call volumes on the topic from its listeners.
So it looks like we will have to continue to fight for the bare minimal in our communities. We will never tackle all those health issues that plague us because there appears to be few alternatives to the low quality foods in the community. It amazes me that the issue of health care rages on in Washington based on mere politics. If we are really concern about the health care in this country we must take a hard look at preventative measures. And there is nothing as preventative as ensuring that all Americans have access to quality food.
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Raven is an educator with a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A. in Education. She has been an avid reader since childhood. Her favorite genres are mystery, suspense, and horror, although she will give any genre a try. She is a life long resident of Chicago. Her love of books opened her mind to people, places and events far beyond her Chicago home. Reading helped to shape her world and her opinion of the events that took place within it. No matter what demands her career requires of her, she has always found time to read and write in a journal. Along with reading and journaling, she loves to watch the sunset, and discuss hot topics with family and friends. She loves baseball, horror movies, mysteries, listening to music from every corner of the world and expressing her view of the latest books with the women of APOOO.
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There is something very wrong with the black psyche when insteading of focusing on opening up of our own grocery stores, we still lament about what the major grocery chains aren’t doing for us.
On the South Side of Chicago, there are numerous huge churches that have been built. Sadly not a one considered building a grocery store on the first floor and then a church on the second.
Until we as a community pool our resources and open our own, the lament is just that…… a lament. No other ethnic groups harps on what they don’t have. They supply it
Great column. I have seen grocery chain stores like Lucky’s close in communities of color here in Oakland. But trutfully, some of them needed to go because I can think of two that were raggedy, had old produce and unkempt. What needs to be done is advocacy for equal quality as the stores in the hills and suburbs. Brand new spanking merchandise and fresh foods and delis. They always think they can shortchange poorer communities citing crime, not enough people patronizing, etc. They did build a nice, grocery story that is not a chain in Eastmont Mall in East Oakland and that is getting lotsof patronage.
.-= Dera Williams´s last blog ..People Get Ready =-.